Monday, June 06, 2016

Monument unveiled to mark Mount Kinabalu earthquake tragedy

KUNDASANG: Kinabalu Park yesterday officially unveiled a monument to mark the first anniversary of the worst earthquake to have taken place at Mount Kinabalu.

The monument made of a brass plaque etched with the names of those who perished and mounted on a slab of granite made from a boulder that chipped off the top of the mountain during the quake, was unveiled to the media and family of the victims in a solemn ceremony yesterday.

Park officials, led by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, hosted the ceremony at the site of the monument at Kiau view point, about a kilometre up from the starting point of the recently reopened hiking trail at the mountain.

The ceremony started with a one-minute silent prayer for the quake victims followed by wreath laying by Masidi. Others also laid flowers at the monument.

Masidi said the monument was symbolic and reflects the people’s sorrow over the tragedy and serves as reminder that the safety aspects in mountain climbing must be continuously improved.

The minister also led a tree-planting initiative at the memorial site in memory of the four mountain guides who died during the quake.

The early morning 6.0 magnitude quake killed 14 climbers and four mountain guides descending the mountain, making it the worst ever disaster in the Park’s history.